Blues v. Redbacks - Pura Cup

[Donny]

Mail scored 128 and Pilon, 50 as NSW declared on 9/350 with just enough time to bowl 4 overs to The Redbacks.

Bracken and Nicho each took a wicket. 2/9 at stumps.

Tait took 5/85 and Cleary, 3/60.

[Donny]

Nicholson and Bracken each have two wickets as The Redbacks slump to 4/67 but tjey have a couple of old warriors in Lehmann and Flower at the crease.

This is a very important game for Lehmann. He's been in good form in the one dayers and has been getting starts in Pura Cup but needs a big one here.

[Donny]

Not to be as MacGill bowled him for 20.

Redbacks in big trouble and battling to avoid the follow on.

They are 8/103 with Nicho keeping his name in the frame with 5/27 from 11 overs. He claimed Higgs, Miller and Cleary in 7 balls, all for ducks.

[Donny]

All out for 129. The lead is 221.

Flower made 44.

Follow on not enforced. Lol. Stevie is still stung by that Indian Test defeat when they followed on.

[Donny]

Greg Mail is having a good match. 128 in the first innings and heading for another ton in the second. He's 75 n.o. and The Blues are 1/148, 369 ahead. Phelps is 40 n.o.
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A century in each innings for Mail. He's 116 n.o. and Phelps made 62. They lead by 428 with 9 overs to come today.

[Donny]

The Blues lead by 463 with Mail on 126 n.o.

[Donny]

Mail completed a great double with 152 n.o. to add to his first innings 128.

NSW declared at 4/299, leaving S.A. 521 to get for an unlikely victory.

When Cameron went for a duck and Cosgrove was run out for 27, NSW would have been happy with their progress but Manou (130) and Lehmann (149 n.o.) added 210 runs for the third wicket from only 37.1 overs.

Lehmann and Andy Flower added another 53 before stumps to set a up a possible record 4th. innings run chasing record.

They need 182 more to achieve that with plenty of overs left - 96.

Boof has already put his hand up in a big way - 149 from 179 balls with 92 in boundaries - but a big double ton to win the game tomorrow would make including him for the Sri Lanka Tests, irrisistable.

[JLC]

Lehmann has definately picked the right oppostion to make the runs against. So there will be a big tick against his name.

One would have thought the squad would be picked already and announced tomorrow.

jlc

[Donny]

Lehmann canes NSW

Fox

DARREN LEHMANN returned to his cavalier best at the expense of Stuart MacGill as South Australia launched an audacious bid for a history-defying outright win over NSW in the Pura Cup match at the SCG today.

The Australian Test batting candidate, anxiously awaiting the naming tomorrow of the squad to tour Sri Lanka, belted 28 runs from eight MacGill deliveries – and kept dishing out the punishment thereafter – to help himself to a timely 149 not out with national selector David Boon watching from the Bradman Stand.

Set a seemingly impossible 521 runs for victory after the Blues declared their second innings on 4-299, and falling to 1-7 almost immediately, the Redbacks somehow conjured up a serious challenge to be 3-339 at stumps – just 182 runs shy of snatching an incredible result.

No Sheffield Shield or Pura Cup side has ever chased so many runs and won. The record is SA's 6-506 to beat Queensland in 1991-92.

Lehmann's 210-run partnership from 223 balls with Graham Manou (130), including 174 runs in a frantic middle session, turned the game on its head and ruined MacGill's figures, leaving him with an unflattering 0-118 from 18 overs on the same day his Test rival Shane Warne took 4-51 in Victoria's outright defeat of Tasmania.

Round one of Warne versus MacGill ahead of the Tests against Sri Lanka goes to Warne ... by knockout.

MacGill dismissed Lehmann twice in three balls earlier in the week with long hops, but he had no such luck today as the SA skipper and Manou caned him. The 34-year-old Lehmann hit MacGill for two sixes and four fours in eight balls to virtually seal his selection for Sri Lanka. MacGill and Warne will definitely be on the plane before starting their intriguing battle to make the Test XI.

Warne's match figures of 6-100 from 36 overs at the MCG indicated a seamless return to the game from his 12-month suspension but MacGill, at his most costly, conceded 83 runs from a single 11-over spell – and that included a maiden.

The Blues paid dearly for MacGill dropping Manou on four and Mark Waugh spilling a chance from Lehmann on 90, then giving Andy Flower (21no) a life just before stumps.

Earlier, NSW opener Greg Mail finished 152 not out after his 128 in the first innings to become only the third NSW player to score a hundred and a 150 in the same Sheffield Shield/Pura Cup game.

Monty Noble did it in 1907/08; Mark Taylor in 1988-89.

NSW paceman Matthew Nicholson continued his impressive outing – and continued overshadowing another possible tourist in Nathan Bracken – by picking up a quick wicket in the SA second innings, having Ben Cosgrove caught by Waugh at second slip to leave the Redbacks at their precarious 1-7.

An outright win for NSW appeared at that stage to be a fait accompli.

Not by stumps.

Lehmann hit 20 fours and two sixes from his 179 balls.

[Donny]

Lehmann races on to 167 n.o.

He's added 19 from 16 balls as S.A. now need 162 to win.

[JLC]

If Lehmann is doing that to MacGill i shudder to think what the Sri Lankans will do to him.

Very Interesting to see a good performance can get you into the team yet a poor bowling performance doesnt seem to matter.

jlc

[Donny]

Important wicket for NSW as Bracken claims Flower for 24. Lehmann moves on to 176 n.o.
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With Flower gone, Boof puts foot on the pedal and peels 15 from a Clark over. 191 n.o.
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He takes 7 from the start of Bracken's over to go to 198 n.o. He's added 49 from 35 balls.
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[Donny]

Lehmann races to 202 n.o. from 216 balls. Top knock, Boofa !!
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S.A. go to 4/400 with another Lehmann boundary. He has 29 fours and 2 sixes.

The redbacks now need 121 to win with 84 overs to get them. Lehmann 207 n.o.
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Under 100 needed now as Lehmann goes on relentlessly to 237 n.o. from 237 balls
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An excellent innings comes to a close. Lehmann scored 88 runs from 58 balls today before attempting a 3rd. four in succession from MacGill only to hit it straight to Steve Waugh in the covers.

He hit 148 in boundaries.

The Redbacks now need 87 runs. Higgs and Miller are at the wicket.

[JLC]

How much garbage must MacGill bowl.......19 overs for 127 runs. The Sri Lankan batsman must be licking their lips at the prospect of facing MacGill. The thing in MacGills favour is that the wickets will be turning.

He just got Lehmann out.

I will predict that Lehmann wont score 237 runs for the whole test series.

jlc

[Donny]

Is he in your Test squad now, mate ?